HOLLYWOOD - It looks like Xander Cage will get the chance to pay back Uncle Sam for all the freedom he enjoys--twice.Sequels have become a regular occurrence in Hollywood, so it's no surprise that the follow-up to the upcoming action flick XXX has been given the green light. What is startling, however, is that the news comes before the release of the film's first installment.
Anticipating a hit, Sony-based Revolution Studios is forging ahead with a sequel to XXX, which is being referred to as XXX2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Herculean star Vin Diesel apparently signed on for a sequel when he made the original deal--for a reported $10 million and an executive producing credit. XXX director Rob Cohen, who also worked with Diesel in The Fast and the Furious, will helm the pic, which is slated for release in summer or Christmas 2004.
In XXX, Diesel plays Xander Cage, a tough extreme-sports player who is co-opted by the government to infiltrate a Russian crime ring.
It is not yet known if Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as NSA Agent Gibbons, who recruits Diesel's character as an undercover agent.
XXX opens wide on Aug. 2.